Several students were treated for exposure to pepper spray on Friday afternoon at Notre Dame High School, according to the Calgary Police Service (CPS).
The Calgary Catholic School District told Global News that a distinct odour was reported coming from a common area of the school at about 12:45 p.m.
The school went into lockdown and emergency services were called.
Calgary police confirmed on Monday that former students were in the school and dispensed pepper spray in a hallway while walking past a classroom.
Students were dismissed for the day 30 minutes after the lockdown was put in place.
A spokesperson with EMS told Global News there were initially about 10 students that paramedics were concerned about when they arrived.
In the end, two students were taken to an urgent care centre with minor injuries.
A spokesperson with CPS called the recent rise in pepper spray incidents “troubling,” adding it’s likely being used more often because it’s easy to obtain, conceal and use.
“It’s disturbing; it’s not just the people that you target that are impacted because of the spread of it,” CPS said.
Both the school administration and the CPS are investigating the incident. CPS said they know the individuals involved.
— With files from Global’s Lisa MacGregor